How to Play Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza (Rules, Special Cards and 2 Players)
Quick answer: Deal out all 64 cards face down. Take turns flipping a card onto the middle while chanting taco, cat, goat, cheese, pizza in order. When the card matches the word, everyone slaps the pile and the last hand down takes it. The first player out of cards who slaps first on a match wins.
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza is for 2 to 8 players, ages 8 and up, and a game takes about ten minutes. These rules follow the official instructions from Dolphin Hat Games. If you’re deciding whether to buy it, start with our Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza review.
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Setup
Shuffle all 64 cards and deal them evenly to every player, face down. Don’t look at your cards. Keep them in a face-down draw pile in front of you.
How to Play, Step by Step
- The player to the dealer’s left flips their top card face up onto the middle and says “Taco.”
- The next player flips a card on top and says “Cat.”
- Keep going around the table: “Goat,” “Cheese,” “Pizza,” then back to “Taco.”
- When the card that lands matches the word just said, for example a Pizza card while saying “Pizza,” everyone slaps the pile.
- The last player to slap takes the whole pile and puts it under their draw pile, then starts the next round by saying “Taco.”
The Three Special Cards
| Card | What everyone does before slapping |
|---|---|
| Gorilla | Beat your chest |
| Narwhal | Put your hands together above your head to make a horn |
| Groundhog | Knock on the table with both hands |
When a special card appears, it doesn’t matter what word was said. Everyone does the action and then slaps, and the last to finish, or anyone who does the wrong action and doesn’t fix it, takes the pile.
Penalties
The rule: if you slap at the wrong time, or even start to and pull back, that’s a flinch, and you take the whole pile.
The official instructions add two more. Flip your card away from you so you can’t peek at it first, and if you clearly look before playing it, you take the pile. And keep the pace up, because forgetting your word or missing your turn also means you take the pile.
How to Win
When you run out of cards, you stay in the game, keep saying the chant on your turn, and keep slapping. You win by being the first to correctly slap a match or a special card once your hand is empty.
How to Play With 2 Players
The official rules cover 2 to 8 players with no changes for two. With two, you simply alternate turns and the chant moves quickly. It’s more of a reaction duel than a party, and it’s at its best with five or more.
Want to play? The original Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza is the place to start.
Check Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza price on Amazon →
Related Reading
To see a round played, the Dice Tower’s video review walks through it, and Meeple Mountain’s review explains why it works so well with groups. Weighing it against another party game? Read Taco Cat vs Exploding Kittens, or see our best board games for families.
Our versions ranking covers On the Flip Side, which adds back-of-hand slaps, and the other editions. The game is based on Egyptian Ratscrew, which you can play with a regular deck, and our 25 card games for a standard deck explains how. Wikipedia’s Taco Cat page covers its history. For more fast family games, see Happy Salmon and our best card games for kids.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you win Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza?
Run out of cards, keep chanting and slapping, and be the first to correctly slap a match or a special card while your hand is empty.
What happens if you slap wrong in Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza?
You take the whole center pile. That includes a flinch, where you start to slap and pull back.
What do the special cards do in Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza?
On a Gorilla, everyone beats their chest. On a Narwhal, everyone makes a horn above their head. On a Groundhog, everyone knocks on the table. Then everyone slaps, and the last to finish takes the pile.
Can you play Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza with 2 players?
Yes. The rules cover 2 to 8 players with no changes for two, though it’s at its best with five or more.
Can you look at your card before playing it?
No. Flip it away from you so you see it at the same time as everyone else. Clearly peeking means you take the pile.
How many cards are in Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza?
64. They’re dealt out evenly to all players at the start.